The latest estimate of this year’s harvest as at 15 September confirmed that the harvest of cereals and rape will be lower in the year-on-year comparison (−1.4% and −17.5%, respectively). The harvest of potatoes is also lower compared to the last year's above-average harvest (−3.5%). More favourable, on the other hand, is the estimate as for harvest of industrial sugar beet (+8.8%), sunflower (+61.8%), or poppy (+1.8%).

“Despite unusually slow progress of harvest, farmers succeeded to harvest all areas of cereals by half of September. The latest September estimates confirmed an average harvest. The total harvest of cereals, after having included estimated harvest of maize, exceeded 8 million tonnes and it is by almost three percent higher compared to the ten-year average,” Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department says.

Based on the latest estimate of this year’s harvest as at 15 September, the production of cereals including grain maize is estimated to be 8 003 thousand tonnes. The production is by 110 thousand tonnes lower (−1.4%), year-on-year. The reasons for the slight decrease are both a lower per hectare yield of 6.03 t/ha (−0.5%) and a smaller sowing area of cereals of 1 326 thousand hectares (−0.9%). This year’s production of cereals including grain maize is estimated to be by 2.6% higher than the average of harvests for the last ten years. 

According to the estimate, winter wheat, which is the most important cereal in the Czech Republic, was harvested in the amount of 4 563 thousand tonnes, by 237 thousand tonnes less compared to the previous year (−4.9%). Also other cereals were harvested in lower amounts as follows: spring barley 1 105 thousand tonnes (−1.2%), grain maize 770 thousand tonnes (−6.7%), winter barley 654 thousand tonnes (−6.3%), triticale 198 thousand tonnes (−7.0%), and rye 127 thousand tonnes (−26.3%). On the other hand, the harvest of spring wheat in the amount of 380 thousand tonnes is, mainly thanks to significant expansion of the sowing area, more than three times higher (+277 thousand tonnes) and oats was harvested in the amount of 206 thousand tonnes, by 12.3% more than in the previous year.

“This year’s per hectare yields of potatoes are good; however, the total harvest will probably be by almost four percent lower compared to the last year. The reason is a decrease in the sowing areas. A lot of farmers could not sell their last year’s production on the market due to anti-epidemic measures and therefore they rather reduced growing of potatoes this year,” Renata Vodičková, Head of the Agricultural and Forestry Statistics Unit, said.

The production of potatoes expected to be in the amount of 672 thousand tonnes is by 3.5% lower, y-o-y. This year, farmers planted potatoes on 23 thousand hectares of fields, which is approximately by a thousand hectares less than in the previous year (−4.4%). Similarly as a year ago, 29.42 tonnes of potatoes are harvested from one hectare (+0.9%). When compared to the ten-year average harvest, the estimated potato harvest is by 3.4% higher this year (the area under potatoes −3.5%; the per hectare yield +7.1%). 

The expected harvest of industrial sugar beet of 3 996 thousand tonnes is by 8.8% higher, y-o-y, thanks to an increase of the estimated per hectare yield to 65.26 t/ha (+6.1%) and also a slight expansion of the sowing area to 61 thousand hectares (+2.6%). The sowing area of industrial sugar beet decreased by 5 thousand hectares (−7.4%) compared to the sowing area in 2017 when the system of the sugar production quotas was terminated. This year, the expected industrial sugar beet production is by 2.6% higher compared to the average production for the last ten years (the area under industrial sugar beet −0.1%; the per hectare yield +2.7%).

“This year’s harvest of rape is the lowest for the last fourteen years, whereas estimated harvest of other oil seed crops is significantly higher thanks to an increase in their sowing areas. By a half more soya will be harvested and the estimated harvest of sunflower for seed, mustard seed, or oil flex exceeds the last year’s harvest even by two thirds,” Dagmar Lhotská from the Agricultural and Forestry Statistics Unit added.

According to the latest estimate, 1 027 thousand tonnes of rape were harvested, by 218 thousand tonnes less than in the previous year (−17.5%). This decrease is contributed to by both a lower per hectare yield of 3.00 t/ha (−11.3%) and a reduction of the sowing area to 342 thousand hectares (−7.0%). This year’s estimate of the rape production is also by almost a fifth lower compared to the average for the last ten years (harvest −19.2%; the area under rape −12.1%; the per hectare yield −8.0%) and it is the lowest since 2006 when 880 thousand tonnes of rape were harvested from the area of 292 thousand hectares.  

The estimated harvest of poppy of 29 thousand tonnes is by 1.8% higher, year-on-year, despite a decrease of the per hectare yield to 0.67 t/ha (−6.6%) thanks to an expansion of its sowing area to 44 thousand hectares (+9.0%). The last estimate of poppy production significantly decreased compared to the previous July estimate (−2 thousand tonnes; −5.9%); despite that, the estimated harvest is by a third higher than the average of harvests for the last ten years (+33.0%) and it is also the highest one during the last decade.

The estimated production of sunflower for seed of 47 thousand tonnes is by two thirds higher, y-o-y (+61.8%) mainly thanks to an increase of the sowing area to 18 thousand hectares (+59.5%). The area under sunflower for seed thus, after two years of slump, got close to the level from the year 2018, when it was grown on 20 thousand hectares. The per hectare yield of 2.62 t/ha is by 1.4% higher, year-on-year. The estimated sunflower for seed production is by 4.2% higher when compared to the production average for the last ten years (the area under sunflower −4.9%; the per hectare yield +9.5%).

The production of grain peas of 109 thousand tonnes is by almost a third higher, y-o-y (+28.0%). The year-on-year increase in production is contributed to mainly by an expansion of the sowing area to 39 thousand hectares (+18.2%) and also by a higher per hectare yield of 2.82 t/ha (+8.3%). Thanks to the increase in the area under grain peas, also the estimate of peas production is significantly higher when compared to the ten-year average (harvest +77.1%; the area under grain peas +63.7%; the per hectare yield +8.2%).

Expected green and silage maize production of 8 807 thous. tonnes is almost on the same level as in the previous year (−0.3%). The per hectare yield is slightly lower, 38.54 t/ha (−1.3%), whereas its sowing area expanded to 228 thousand hectares (+1.0% compared to the previous year’s harvest area). Production of lucerne was 535 thousand tonnes (−0.9%) and production of red clover was 380 thousand tonnes (−10.7%). The production estimate of these fodder crops exceeds the average of harvests for the last ten years as follows: green and silage maize production by 8.0%, lucerne by 17.1%, and red clover by 5.0%. 

More detailed information also about estimated harvest of other types of field crops, hops, grapes, and selected varieties of fruits and vegetables in the Czech Republic as a whole and broken down by Region are given in the related publication: “Harvest Estimates – Operative Report as at 15 September 2021”. Final data on the 2021 production of all surveyed agricultural crops will be published by the Czech Statistical Office on 23 February 2022.
 

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Notes:
Responsible head at the CZSO: Radek Matějka, Director of the Agricultural and Forestry, Industrial, Construction, and Energy Statistics Department, phone number (+420) 736 168 543, e-mail: radek.matejka@czso.cz
Contact person: Renata Vodičková, Head of the Agricultural and Forestry Statistics Unit, phone number (+420) 703 824 173, e-mail: renata.vodickova@czso.cz
Data source: statistical survey of Harvest Estimates of Crops (Zem V9) and questionnaire on Areas under Crops (Osev 3-01)
End of data collection: 16 September 2021
End of data processing: 14 October 2021
Related publications: Harvest Estimates – Operative Report as at 15 September 2021
https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/harvest-estimates-operative-report-as-at-15-september-2021
Areas under Crops Survey as at 31 May 2021
https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/areas-under-crops-survey-as-at-31-may-2021
Update procedure: Final data on the production of agricultural crops for 2021 will be published by the Czech Statistical Office on 23 February 2022.